Mature Age Mature Age Prospects 2023

[Pure_Ownage]

Again, not what I was told but could well be right. The nature of the draft is that some club could draft him out of left field is as likely is that nobody does. Freo have probably had more success with drafting mature players from the VFL and other places than any other club off the top of my head... So it would also makes sense.

Ryan, Barlow, Schultz, Broughton, Peake, Spurr etc. not to mention they first sighted players like Collins, Menegola, Meek, A. Silvagni, Butheras etc.

We have also been pretty good with mature agers-stewart, atkins, menegola, pods, simpkin (flag at hawthorn), blicavs (cat b), darcy fort (now brisbane) to name a few. We have had a few vfl misses with your tom ruggles and timm house types but we have had a lot of hits. But i agree freo have been good too.

 

[Kings of Lygon]

My worry with sofronidis is that he was planning not to play this year-i would want to know how good his commitment to making the afl is. I think mannagh will definitely go and maybe main draft not rookie. I also think sam clohesy will definitely get taken as well

Probably no different to a number of draftees that get thrust into a professional envinronment, if not quite advanced. If he's good enough and any club he is drafted to is satisfied he knows the expectations, they'll take him.

A lot can be done fitness wise in an off-season and looking at him (without seeing him play), he is probably in the ball park anyway, especially compared to skinny 18 year olds. He looks ripped so that's a good start...

We have also been pretty good with mature agers-stewart, atkins, menegola, pods, simpkin (flag at hawthorn), blicavs (cat b), darcy fort (now brisbane) to name a few. We have had a few vfl misses with your tom ruggles and timm house types but we have had a lot of hits. But i agree freo have been good too.

Not that it's a compeititon, but the Cats are not even close to Freo with that list.

Simpkin was a known quanitity who Sydney first took the punt on and Blicavs wasn't from the state leagues, but rather a free punt that turned out excellent, much like any Irish or Basketball recruit etc.

Freo have been regular state league plunderers.

 

[eth-dog]

Probably no different to a number of draftees that get thrust into a professional envinronment, if not quite advanced. If he's good enough and any club he is drafted to is satisfied he knows the expectations, they'll take him.

A lot can be done fitness wise in an off-season and looking at him (without seeing him play), he is probably in the ball park anyway, especially compared to skinny 18 year olds. He looks ripped so that's a good start...



Not that it's a compeititon, but the Cats are not even close to Freo with that list.

Simpkin was a known quanitity who Sydney first took the punt on and Blicavs wasn't from the state leagues, but rather a free punt that turned out excellent, much like any Irish or Basketball recruit etc.

Freo have been regular state league plunderers.

Schultz, Barlow, Ryan and Switkowski vs Stewart, Atkins, Menegola, Podsiadly, Kelly and Simpkin. I'm taking Geelong's over Freo's.

 

[Kings of Lygon]

Schultz, Barlow, Ryan and Switkowski vs Stewart, Atkins, Menegola, Podsiadly, Kelly and Simpkin. I'm taking Geelong's over Freo's.

That's cool...

But Menegola, Pods and Simpkin were all on AFL lists before the Cats took them. I think my point is pretty clear. Spurr and Broughton also played 100+ games each and were good pickups also BTW.

Both clubs have done far better then either of the clubs we support, or many others for that matter

 

[eth-dog]

That's cool...

But Menegola, Pods and Simpkin were all on AFL lists before the Cats took them. I think my point is pretty clear. Spurr and Broughton also played 100+ games each and were good pickups also BTW.

Both clubs have done far better then either of the clubs we support, or many others for that matter

We've done okay. Howlett, Crameri, Hardingham, Baguley, Ambrose, Walla, Guelfi, Snelling and Mitch Brown all played 50+ games for the club. Michael Hartley wasn't the worst. And we picked Nic Martin as a 21 year old a couple of years ago too

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Snelling and Mitch Brown

Can’t really count these 2.

Essendon wasn’t their first club.

Hartley likewise.

 

[eth-dog]

Can’t really count these 2.

Essendon wasn’t their first club.

Hartley likewise.

Nah bullshit. They weren't taken on the basis of previously being on a list. They were taken on the basis of being dominant in their state leagues.

Snelling in particular, who cares that he played one game for Port?

 

[Kings of Lygon]

We've done okay. Howlett, Crameri, Hardingham, Baguley, Ambrose, Walla, Guelfi, Snelling and Mitch Brown all played 50+ games for the club. Michael Hartley wasn't the worst. And we picked Nic Martin as a 21 year old a couple of years ago too

If you say so...

Fairly off point though.

 

[swuzzlebubble]

Freo makes sense because they need to replace their departures and also their current draft hand.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

That's cool...

But Menegola, Pods and Simpkin were all on AFL lists before the Cats took them. I think my point is pretty clear. Spurr and Broughton also played 100+ games each and were good pickups also BTW.

Both clubs have done far better then either of the clubs we support, or many others for that matter

Thats not really accurate in real terms though.
Pods was on rookie lists at 19 and 20 (when he fully admitted he wasnt ready). Spent years being legend at werribbee and moved to geelong for an off field job (fitness) as much as anything, then david johnson (who worked with us then) and a stack of players pushed for the club to draft him as a 28yo who had basically never played a game. This is back before anyone was taking players over 25. At the time what we did was unheard of because of how old he was. Him and barlow were the OGs that paved the way for all the mature guys we see now.

Menegola again was on lists for a while but never played a game. After half a good year in the wafl where he had by his own admission basically given up on afl, geelong pounced.

Simpkin again never played a game, went back to play at colac, got on a list through geelongs vfl program the hard way, we gave him the exposure. We wanted to keep him and only delisted him as we literally had zero list spots and that was before trading rookies was a thing, that got him the shot at hawthorn that he deserved.

Thats before stewart and a few other absolute steals-yes blicavs technically wasnt mature age but he was about to spend another 3 years (as a 21yo) pushing for the olympics team in aths and only trialled with us because guthries dad pushed for it.

I agree freo have been the kings of mature agers with guys like barlow and broughton and ballantyne and spurr and mzungu and silvagni and now ryan and guys like schultz, but we havent been far behind.

Anyway sorry for off topic.